Project Mercury

SPACE www.space.com America's first space program began in 1959, with the goal of sending the first man into space. A Soviet citizen claimed that honor, but Mercury succeeded in launching six Americans, including four who orbited the Earth. MERCURY SPACE CAPSULE CONFIGURATION The tiny vehicle was 11.5 ft (3.51 m) high and had a diameter of only 6.2 ft (1.89 m) HORIZON SCANNERS OBSERVATION WINDOW CONTROL PANELS DROGUE CHUTE DE-STABILIZER MAIN CHUTE STEERING ROCKETS RESERVE CHUTE HEAT SHIELD FUEL TANK FOR STEERING ROCKETS ENTRY HATCH The retro-rocket pack was fired to drop Mercury out of orbit, then was meant to be discarded before the capsule hit the atmosphere RETRO-ROCKET PACK STEEL STRAP DRESSED FOR SPACE Astronaut Alan Shepard models the modified U.S. Navy Mark IV pressure suit worn on Mercury flights JERRIE COBB EARLY CAPSULES COMPARED THE MERCURY 13 In unofficial trials, thirteen female pilots passed the same rigorous tests as the seven male Mercury astronauts. The women were never accepted into NASA's program. A Russian, Valentina Tereshkova, became the first woman in space in 1963. MERCURY VOSTOK Builder USA USSR First flight 1961 1961 Length Overall 11.5 ft (3.51 m) 14.4 ft (4.4 m) ROCKETS Suborbital Mercury flights were launched on Redstone boosters (left). Orbital missions required the more powerful Atlas missile (right), which had originally been designed to carry nuclear bombs. SPACE MONKEYS Before the first astronaut flew, NASA tested the Mercury craft by launching monkeys. Here, Ham the chimp is congratulated after his successful Mercury-Redstone 2 suborbital flight on Jan. 31, 1961. John Glenn, Feb. 20, 1962: 143 mi (265 km) altitude Alan Shepard, May 5, 1961: 116 mi (187 km) altitude Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight was a simple suborbital hop lasting just 15 minutes. Nine months later John Glenn (left) became the first American to orbit the Earth on Friendship 7. SOURCES: NASA http://www.mercuryspacecraft.com/wiki/Main Page http://history.nasa.gov/animals.html KARL TATE / SPACE.com SPACE www.space.com America's first space program began in 1959, with the goal of sending the first man into space. A Soviet citizen claimed that honor, but Mercury succeeded in launching six Americans, including four who orbited the Earth. MERCURY SPACE CAPSULE CONFIGURATION The tiny vehicle was 11.5 ft (3.51 m) high and had a diameter of only 6.2 ft (1.89 m) HORIZON SCANNERS OBSERVATION WINDOW CONTROL PANELS DROGUE CHUTE DE-STABILIZER MAIN CHUTE STEERING ROCKETS RESERVE CHUTE HEAT SHIELD FUEL TANK FOR STEERING ROCKETS ENTRY HATCH The retro-rocket pack was fired to drop Mercury out of orbit, then was meant to be discarded before the capsule hit the atmosphere RETRO-ROCKET PACK STEEL STRAP DRESSED FOR SPACE Astronaut Alan Shepard models the modified U.S. Navy Mark IV pressure suit worn on Mercury flights JERRIE COBB EARLY CAPSULES COMPARED THE MERCURY 13 In unofficial trials, thirteen female pilots passed the same rigorous tests as the seven male Mercury astronauts. The women were never accepted into NASA's program. A Russian, Valentina Tereshkova, became the first woman in space in 1963. MERCURY VOSTOK Builder USA USSR First flight 1961 1961 Length Overall 11.5 ft (3.51 m) 14.4 ft (4.4 m) ROCKETS Suborbital Mercury flights were launched on Redstone boosters (left). Orbital missions required the more powerful Atlas missile (right), which had originally been designed to carry nuclear bombs. SPACE MONKEYS Before the first astronaut flew, NASA tested the Mercury craft by launching monkeys. Here, Ham the chimp is congratulated after his successful Mercury-Redstone 2 suborbital flight on Jan. 31, 1961. John Glenn, Feb. 20, 1962: 143 mi (265 km) altitude Alan Shepard, May 5, 1961: 116 mi (187 km) altitude Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight was a simple suborbital hop lasting just 15 minutes. Nine months later John Glenn (left) became the first American to orbit the Earth on Friendship 7. SOURCES: NASA http://www.mercuryspacecraft.com/wiki/Main Page http://history.nasa.gov/animals.html KARL TATE / SPACE.com SPACE www.space.com America's first space program began in 1959, with the goal of sending the first man into space. A Soviet citizen claimed that honor, but Mercury succeeded in launching six Americans, including four who orbited the Earth. MERCURY SPACE CAPSULE CONFIGURATION The tiny vehicle was 11.5 ft (3.51 m) high and had a diameter of only 6.2 ft (1.89 m) HORIZON SCANNERS OBSERVATION WINDOW CONTROL PANELS DROGUE CHUTE DE-STABILIZER MAIN CHUTE STEERING ROCKETS RESERVE CHUTE HEAT SHIELD FUEL TANK FOR STEERING ROCKETS ENTRY HATCH The retro-rocket pack was fired to drop Mercury out of orbit, then was meant to be discarded before the capsule hit the atmosphere RETRO-ROCKET PACK STEEL STRAP DRESSED FOR SPACE Astronaut Alan Shepard models the modified U.S. Navy Mark IV pressure suit worn on Mercury flights JERRIE COBB EARLY CAPSULES COMPARED THE MERCURY 13 In unofficial trials, thirteen female pilots passed the same rigorous tests as the seven male Mercury astronauts. The women were never accepted into NASA's program. A Russian, Valentina Tereshkova, became the first woman in space in 1963. MERCURY VOSTOK Builder USA USSR First flight 1961 1961 Length Overall 11.5 ft (3.51 m) 14.4 ft (4.4 m) ROCKETS Suborbital Mercury flights were launched on Redstone boosters (left). Orbital missions required the more powerful Atlas missile (right), which had originally been designed to carry nuclear bombs. SPACE MONKEYS Before the first astronaut flew, NASA tested the Mercury craft by launching monkeys. Here, Ham the chimp is congratulated after his successful Mercury-Redstone 2 suborbital flight on Jan. 31, 1961. John Glenn, Feb. 20, 1962: 143 mi (265 km) altitude Alan Shepard, May 5, 1961: 116 mi (187 km) altitude Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight was a simple suborbital hop lasting just 15 minutes. Nine months later John Glenn (left) became the first American to orbit the Earth on Friendship 7. SOURCES: NASA http://www.mercuryspacecraft.com/wiki/Main Page http://history.nasa.gov/animals.html KARL TATE / SPACE.com SPACE www.space.com America's first space program began in 1959, with the goal of sending the first man into space. A Soviet citizen claimed that honor, but Mercury succeeded in launching six Americans, including four who orbited the Earth. MERCURY SPACE CAPSULE CONFIGURATION The tiny vehicle was 11.5 ft (3.51 m) high and had a diameter of only 6.2 ft (1.89 m) HORIZON SCANNERS OBSERVATION WINDOW CONTROL PANELS DROGUE CHUTE DE-STABILIZER MAIN CHUTE STEERING ROCKETS RESERVE CHUTE HEAT SHIELD FUEL TANK FOR STEERING ROCKETS ENTRY HATCH The retro-rocket pack was fired to drop Mercury out of orbit, then was meant to be discarded before the capsule hit the atmosphere RETRO-ROCKET PACK STEEL STRAP DRESSED FOR SPACE Astronaut Alan Shepard models the modified U.S. Navy Mark IV pressure suit worn on Mercury flights JERRIE COBB EARLY CAPSULES COMPARED THE MERCURY 13 In unofficial trials, thirteen female pilots passed the same rigorous tests as the seven male Mercury astronauts. The women were never accepted into NASA's program. A Russian, Valentina Tereshkova, became the first woman in space in 1963. MERCURY VOSTOK Builder USA USSR First flight 1961 1961 Length Overall 11.5 ft (3.51 m) 14.4 ft (4.4 m) ROCKETS Suborbital Mercury flights were launched on Redstone boosters (left). Orbital missions required the more powerful Atlas missile (right), which had originally been designed to carry nuclear bombs. SPACE MONKEYS Before the first astronaut flew, NASA tested the Mercury craft by launching monkeys. Here, Ham the chimp is congratulated after his successful Mercury-Redstone 2 suborbital flight on Jan. 31, 1961. John Glenn, Feb. 20, 1962: 143 mi (265 km) altitude Alan Shepard, May 5, 1961: 116 mi (187 km) altitude Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight was a simple suborbital hop lasting just 15 minutes. Nine months later John Glenn (left) became the first American to orbit the Earth on Friendship 7. SOURCES: NASA http://www.mercuryspacecraft.com/wiki/Main Page http://history.nasa.gov/animals.html KARL TATE / SPACE.com SPACE www.space.com America's first space program began in 1959, with the goal of sending the first man into space. A Soviet citizen claimed that honor, but Mercury succeeded in launching six Americans, including four who orbited the Earth. MERCURY SPACE CAPSULE CONFIGURATION The tiny vehicle was 11.5 ft (3.51 m) high and had a diameter of only 6.2 ft (1.89 m) HORIZON SCANNERS OBSERVATION WINDOW CONTROL PANELS DROGUE CHUTE DE-STABILIZER MAIN CHUTE STEERING ROCKETS RESERVE CHUTE HEAT SHIELD FUEL TANK FOR STEERING ROCKETS ENTRY HATCH The retro-rocket pack was fired to drop Mercury out of orbit, then was meant to be discarded before the capsule hit the atmosphere RETRO-ROCKET PACK STEEL STRAP DRESSED FOR SPACE Astronaut Alan Shepard models the modified U.S. Navy Mark IV pressure suit worn on Mercury flights JERRIE COBB EARLY CAPSULES COMPARED THE MERCURY 13 In unofficial trials, thirteen female pilots passed the same rigorous tests as the seven male Mercury astronauts. The women were never accepted into NASA's program. A Russian, Valentina Tereshkova, became the first woman in space in 1963. MERCURY VOSTOK Builder USA USSR First flight 1961 1961 Length Overall 11.5 ft (3.51 m) 14.4 ft (4.4 m) ROCKETS Suborbital Mercury flights were launched on Redstone boosters (left). Orbital missions required the more powerful Atlas missile (right), which had originally been designed to carry nuclear bombs. SPACE MONKEYS Before the first astronaut flew, NASA tested the Mercury craft by launching monkeys. Here, Ham the chimp is congratulated after his successful Mercury-Redstone 2 suborbital flight on Jan. 31, 1961. John Glenn, Feb. 20, 1962: 143 mi (265 km) altitude Alan Shepard, May 5, 1961: 116 mi (187 km) altitude Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight was a simple suborbital hop lasting just 15 minutes. Nine months later John Glenn (left) became the first American to orbit the Earth on Friendship 7. SOURCES: NASA http://www.mercuryspacecraft.com/wiki/Main Page http://history.nasa.gov/animals.html KARL TATE / SPACE.com SPACE www.space.com America's first space program began in 1959, with the goal of sending the first man into space. A Soviet citizen claimed that honor, but Mercury succeeded in launching six Americans, including four who orbited the Earth. MERCURY SPACE CAPSULE CONFIGURATION The tiny vehicle was 11.5 ft (3.51 m) high and had a diameter of only 6.2 ft (1.89 m) HORIZON SCANNERS OBSERVATION WINDOW CONTROL PANELS DROGUE CHUTE DE-STABILIZER MAIN CHUTE STEERING ROCKETS RESERVE CHUTE HEAT SHIELD FUEL TANK FOR STEERING ROCKETS ENTRY HATCH The retro-rocket pack was fired to drop Mercury out of orbit, then was meant to be discarded before the capsule hit the atmosphere RETRO-ROCKET PACK STEEL STRAP DRESSED FOR SPACE Astronaut Alan Shepard models the modified U.S. Navy Mark IV pressure suit worn on Mercury flights JERRIE COBB EARLY CAPSULES COMPARED THE MERCURY 13 In unofficial trials, thirteen female pilots passed the same rigorous tests as the seven male Mercury astronauts. The women were never accepted into NASA's program. A Russian, Valentina Tereshkova, became the first woman in space in 1963. MERCURY VOSTOK Builder USA USSR First flight 1961 1961 Length Overall 11.5 ft (3.51 m) 14.4 ft (4.4 m) ROCKETS Suborbital Mercury flights were launched on Redstone boosters (left). Orbital missions required the more powerful Atlas missile (right), which had originally been designed to carry nuclear bombs. SPACE MONKEYS Before the first astronaut flew, NASA tested the Mercury craft by launching monkeys. Here, Ham the chimp is congratulated after his successful Mercury-Redstone 2 suborbital flight on Jan. 31, 1961. John Glenn, Feb. 20, 1962: 143 mi (265 km) altitude Alan Shepard, May 5, 1961: 116 mi (187 km) altitude Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight was a simple suborbital hop lasting just 15 minutes. Nine months later John Glenn (left) became the first American to orbit the Earth on Friendship 7. SOURCES: NASA http://www.mercuryspacecraft.com/wiki/Main Page http://history.nasa.gov/animals.html KARL TATE / SPACE.com